1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone apparatus suitable for use as, for example, a household telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a telephone apparatus for household or other use has an auto-dialing function which automatically calls registered telephone numbers when an auto-dialing button is pushed followed by pushing of ten-key buttons corresponding to the registered codes. Usually, such telephone apparatuses have an illuminating light source for illuminating the ten-key buttons from the back side of the ten-key board, in order to facilitate the use of the telephone apparatus in darkness.
For instance, a lamp as the light source is automatically lit when the telephone is hooked-off as the user picks up the hand set or when a hook-off button or a speaker button is pressed by the user, thereby illuminating the ten-key board from the back side thereof. The auto-dialing function is put into effect as the user pushes the auto-dialing button after pushing the hook-off button or the speaker button, followed by pushing of ten-key buttons corresponding to the registered code.
The known telephone apparatus having the described illuminating system can meet the requirements for illumination of a ten-key board and auto-dialing function appreciably well, but still involves the following problems.
Namely, the known telephone apparatus of this kind, when used in darkness, is quite inconvenient in that the user can hardly recognize the positions of the hand set, the hook-off button and the speaker button. Furthermore, the use of the telephone apparatus in the auto-dialing mode is rather troublesome because the auto-dialing function does not become available unless the hook-off button or the speaker button is pushed before the auto-dialing button is pushed.